<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Escape the Night – Living Dolls: Into Wonderland by Dede42</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24896809">Escape the Night – Living Dolls: Into Wonderland</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dede42/pseuds/Dede42'>Dede42</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Living Dolls [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Multi-Fandom, Original Work, Our ETerNity Together (Web Series AU)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alice in Wonderland References, Dolls, Hypnotism</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:02:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,353</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24896809</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dede42/pseuds/Dede42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone taken by Cecelia has been saved and they're all safe in the SAE base right? Or does Ceclia has something up her sleeve to get Mystic back? And what will happen to Delta?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Living Dolls [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774900</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. PROLOGUE: WONDERLAND</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ETNMystic/gifts">ETNMystic</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24049177">A Real Doll Of a Girl</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ETNMystic/pseuds/ETNMystic">ETNMystic</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!</p><p>Now, this one is in progress and even I don't know how many chapters it'll have when it's done. Onward!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="western">
  <span class="u">
    <b>PROLOGUE: WONDERLAND</b>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">*****</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">On July 4<sup>th</sup>, 1862, Lewis Caroll, real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, went on a river trip with the Reverend Robinson Duckworth, and the three daughters of scholar Henry Liddell: Lorina Charlotte Liddell age 13, Alice Pleasance Liddell age 10, and Edith Mary Liddell age 8. He told the girls a story during the trip, a story that featured a bored little girl named Alice who went on a search for an adventure.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">The girls loved the story and Alice asked Lewis to write the story down for her. The day after the river trip, he started writing the story, but he never finished, and it was a month later, after going on another river trip and he told more of the plot to the girls, that he worked on the manuscript in November. He did research on natural history for the animals that he put into the story, and he had children read through the story so that he could determine their reactions.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">It was in 1865, three years since the river trip, that Lewis finally submitted the manuscript, having added to it, including illustrations by Martin Gardner, and it was published under the title of <em>Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland</em>. Despite a reprint a year later in order to fix a few things for the cover and the title page, the book was an overnight success with children and adults alike.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Because of this, the book has never been out of print, not even its’ sequel, <em>Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There</em>, that was published in 1871, and it has continued to be popular that both books have been adapted into movies and TV shows since the year 1903. Writers have written adaptions of <em>Alice in Wonderland</em>, comics and comic strips have been adapted as well, and fans have even made costumes based on the characters. There has also been live performances adapted from the books, and the list just goes on and on.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">But what if someone was to take this story and use it as a means to lure others into a trap? Would Cecelia do something like that in order to get Mystic back? Would she do it to the other girls? Would it even be used on Delta?</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Only time will tell.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. CHAPTER ONE: THEY’RE MAKING ASSUMPTIONS…RIGHT?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!</p>
<p>Yup, time for chapter one and there's something that you should know. The creator of the OCs Penelope and Lilith, Chalala, has asked Mystic to not use her characters in certain storylines, which includes the Dolls, and so out of respect to her, both Penelope and Lilith are being removed from those storylines, being replaced with new OCs created by Mystic: Genevieve and Cecelia.</p>
<p>I have already made the necessary changes to what I have written and posted for The Fugitive AU and for the first installment of my Living Dolls series. So that's why we now have Cecelia. Onward!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="western">
  <span class="u">
    <b>CHAPTER ONE: THEY’RE MAKING ASSUMPTIONS…RIGHT?</b>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">*****</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">It’d been a number of days since Mystic had been rescued and brought to the SAE base, and the same amount of time since I ended up voicing how I’d felt about not being picked by Cecelia. During this time, I’d noticed that Mystic had been showing a strong interest in dresses, which some people thought she would be despising because of what she’d gone through, and I just figured that this was a side effect from being a living doll.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">To be honest, I thought Mystic was being perfectly happy and normal, despite this new obsession, and I even said so one time when Alice and Ro voiced concerns. “Yes, she’s being a bit obsessed, but I think this is just normal for Mystic, and we all have things we obsess over, so I don’t really see anything wrong.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I got some odd looks from them, but that was what I was thinking, and if they didn’t like my opinion, then they could just ignore it, for it was my opinion, which I had a right to have. And if I was completely honest with myself, I still wasn’t completely over what I had voiced that day, and I was finding it annoying that the others were starting to get into their overprotective habits concerning Mystic.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I knew that Mystic had ADHD, which was why I didn’t consider her hyper fixation with dresses to be a bad thing, and I knew people with AD, or even ADHD, with similar fixations, and I knew that it was a phase that would eventually fade away given enough time.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Unfortunately, it was looking like I was the only one who was thinking like that. I didn’t notice it at first, but those who I thought were being neutral about the whole dress obsession, they were starting to have whispered conversations, and whenever they saw Mystic walking over, they would walk off really quickly.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I knew from past experience that this would be setting off Mystic’s radar that something was going on, and when it would eventually come to a head, it wouldn’t be a good thing at all. And little did I know, this was just going to be the start of a <em>whole </em>new problem that was sneaking into our lives, and that things were going to go upside-down without us knowing until it was too late.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">*****</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">A few days later, during dinner, and that was when the topic about Mystic’s interest in dresses was brought up. And like I suspected, she wasn’t taking their concerns about her obsession very well.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“What do you mean you think I'm crazy?” Mystic asked, her fork hovering over her food, and she was frowning.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“That's not what we said," Alice protested.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">"That's what <em>I </em>said," Candy Pop said, and Alice glared at him angrily.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I also glared at Candy Pop. “Mystic isn’t crazy, just laid off of her.” And of course, I was being ignored.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Mystic, we're just concerned," Ro said. "It seems really odd that you'd obsess over something that traumatized you, at least in a positive light."</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">"So? My emotions are odd as they are," Mystic argued. "It's not really out of the ordinary."</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">"What if this is some sort of post-hypnotic suggestion, though?" Envy asked. "Maybe Ceceliaimplanted the idea in your head.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Ok, I had to admit that did send a chill down my spine, and it clearly sent a chill down Mystic’s spine, too. I hadn’t to admit it, even if it was just to myself, I hadn’t even <em>considered </em>the possibility that Cecelia would do something like it, and it was something that should <em>have </em>been considered, especially when it came to Cecelia.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Mystic, however, did get a little defensive when she replied to Envy’s question. “You're just saying that because you hate dolls.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Envy blinked and flushed a little, but he knew that she was right since he didn’t like dolls due to a certain traumatic experience at the hands of Calvin the Serial Killer. “I mean…I do…after what I went through, is it any wonder I do?” he stammered, going a bright shade of green. “But that's not why I'm saying it. I'm saying it because it's possible.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I could tell that this topic was making Mystic angry, but she was also curious, and so was I. <em>‘Planting a suggestion in someone’s head is what Cecelia’s know for,’ </em>I thought, <em>‘so it’s possible. Oh, I hope that it </em>isn’t <em>possible.’</em></p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“You really think she'd do that?" Mystic asked, pulling me out of my thoughts, and I could tell by her tone was half anger and half curiosity.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">"Are you really <em>that </em>naive?" Candy Pop asked. "Of course she would!"</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">"Shut up, Balloon Boy," Mystic snapped.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Grumbling, he went back to his meatloaf.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">"We just really think this might be a bad sign," Lauren told Mystic. "It's probably better if you just…avoid it altogether.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western"><em>‘And that was the </em>wrong<em>thing to say,’ </em>I thought as Mystic’s expression twisted with anger, and I knew that she was going to blow.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Really? Whenever I'm happy, it's wrong?” she demanded, her temper flaring.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“No, she didn't mean that-" Alex began.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Mystic, however, huffed and stood up. “Sure.” She then left the dining room, and it was clear that she was angry and upset.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Nice going, guys,” I said fixing them with a disapproving expression. “You just pissed Mystic off, and for once, I’m on her side.” And before they could respond, I stood up, no longer feeling hungry, and left my plate of half-eaten spaghetti behind.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I normally wouldn’t do something like that, but I was angry at the group for treating Mystic like she did something wrong and seemed to didn’t like the fact that she was happy.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">*****</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I left the dining room and started heading toward my bedroom, but then I stopped. <em>‘No, this isn’t the time to be in a room,’</em>I thought, turning on my heel, and I headed for the garden instead, for I needed some fresh air. <em>‘This is the only place where I can get some fresh air and be surrounded by flowers that smell nice.’ </em>I needed some alone time and the garden was the best place for that.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">*****</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I went out to the garden, headed over to the pond, where I laid down on the flat rock, clasped my hands behind my head, and I stared up at the night sky, which was filled with stars. I knew that snapping at the group was wrong, but they were assuming that something was wrong with Mystic when it was probably nothing.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I sighed, this was going to be a long night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Honestly, I don't think anything's wrong with Mystic, and I do think that the others are jumping to conclusions. Of course, if I'm wrong, then I'll admit it. Bye for now! R&amp;R everyone!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. CHAPTER TWO: “NIKITA, YOU’RE A BULLY!”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!</p>
<p>It's time for another Living Dolls chapter and to see what's going on with Delta. Onward!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="western">
  <span class="u">
    <b>CHAPTER TWO: </b>
  </span>
  <span class="u">
    <b>“NIKITA, YOU’RE A </b>
  </span>
  <em>
    <span class="u">
      <b>BULLY!</b>
    </span>
  </em>
  <span class="u">
    <b>”</b>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">*****</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I was heading back to my room to get some sleep, and I was hoping to some degree, that the tension at dinner would disappear by morning. I hadn’t like snapping at the others, but I really felt that they’d crossed a line with Mystic’s interest in dresses, and then something happened that knocked that thought clear out of my head.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">
  <em>THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!</em>
</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Hearing the four thuds in a row like that, I was soon running around the corner to the sight of Ivy, Ro, Justine, and Andrea R. all lying unconscious on the floor outside of Mystic’s bedroom. “Oh my gosh!” I gasped, and I went to them while calling out for help. “Help! Someone please! Help!”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I knelt down and was checking for pulses, finding them all to be strong and regular when the others ran up, along with Jael, Ryu, Calliope, and Alison. “I heard thuds and I found them like this,” I reported, “their pulses are strong, but they’re not waking up.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Jael knelt down and ran a device over each of the four girls, checking the readings. “You’re right, Delta,” she said, looking at me. “Their vital signs are stable, but there’s definitely something wrong, and they need to be taken to the infirmary right away. Also, someone should check on Mystic since all of this should’ve brought her to the door at least.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I got up and stepped aside as the medics arrived to transfer the four sleeping girls to the infirmary while Lydia knocked on the door to Mystic’s room.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Mystic? You in there? Mystic?”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">When there was no answer, Ryu used an override key to open the door, and he entered with Lydia and I right behind him, where we gasped with alarmed.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Mystic was indeed in her room and lying on her bed, but she was also fast asleep, and it was immediately clear that whatever had happen to Ivy, Andrea R., Ro, and Justine had affected her as well. And I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that I was wrong and the others had been right after all.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">*****</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">A short time later, we all were in the infirmary, where scans and tests were being made on the five sleeping girls to determine what had been done to them, if it had anything to do with Cecelia, and if there was a way to wake them up without causing them any physical, emotional, and even mental harm in the process.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">There was tension in the room as we waited, and I had a strong feeling that Nikita was going to blame me somehow for the current situation. <em>‘And if she does,’ </em>I thought, watching as the troublemaker paced around, waiting for any word about the condition of our friends, <em>‘then that means that I’ll in up snapping back at her.’</em></p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I knew that I would make an easy target since I’d said that I agreed with Mystic earlier, which wasn’t going to set well with certain people, and that I should’ve realized that Cecelia would go and do something like this, thanks to be her obsession with Mystic.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“I have the results,” said Calliope and her expression was grim. “This is not good.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“What are the results?”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“How bad is it?”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Did Cecelia do this somehow?”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“What can we do?”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Calliope waited until the questions were done before she answered. “This is Cecelia’s doing,” she informed the group, sending chills down our spines. “She managed to place a post-hypnotic suggestion in their minds and somehow was able to activate them, despite all of the Society’s safeguard, and because of this, they are all in a deep sleep.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western"><em>‘Envy was right,’ </em>I thought, and felt like kicking myself for wanting to believe that nothing was wrong with Mystic. <em>‘He was right, and I was wrong. Stupid, stupid, stupid!’</em></p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Wait,” said Alice, frowning. “How did Cecelia managed to plant that suggestion in Ivy’s head? She wasn’t ever taken by her.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Ceceliais a highly skilled hypnotist,” Genevieve reminded the group. “It would be easy for her to slip a suggestion in Ivy’s head and make her forget the encounter. She’s done it before, and this is proof that she’s done it again.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“But, but that means that the post-hypnotic suggestion is in the head of everyone who got taken,” said Cyrille, panic lining her voice. “She could do this to any of us at any time!”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I felt another chill go down my spine, for Cyrille was right, and if Cecelia wanted to, she could easily trigger the hypnotic suggestion and take the other girls down easily. Hell, she could take the whole base if she wanted.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Delta, this is your fault, b*.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I started and shot Nikita a look when I saw that she’d stopped pacing and was now glaring at me. “Oh really? Care to share with the class of <em>how</em>this is my fault?” I snapped back, my temper flaring a little in response.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“We all were thinking that there was something wrong with Mystic’s obsession with dresses, and you didn’t think it was wrong at all,” Nikita retorted, glaring hotly at me. “You thought it was a phase, something that would pass, and you were f*g wrong! Look at what Cecelia’s done to them! And this is all <em>your </em>fault!”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">A deathly silence fell over the infirmary, the only sounds were the steady beeps of the machinery, and the group was frozen, looking between the two of us.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I felt my blood boiling and my hands balled into fists, my nails bitting into my hands, but I didn’t care, I was <em>pissed!</em></p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Oh sure!” I exploded, seeing red and making everyone jump. “Blame the fat girl just because she wasn’t even picked! Blame the girl with the overweight problem who’s been convinced that’s why she wasn’t kidnapped by Cecelia when this all started! Blame the girl who clearly wasn’t going to look nice as a doll! Go ahead! You want a scapegoat, then you got one! I’m worthless! I can’t lose weight! I’m useless! And I don’t even know why I’m here anyways! I’m just a stock character, cannon fobber!”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I was venting and it felt good! I was <em>so </em>pissed, that I didn’t care if this lead to everyone in the room hating me, for I was done! I was done being useless, excluded, and left out on just about everything, I was <em>done! </em>“You, Nikita, are a <em>bully! </em>And I’m <em>done!</em>”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I spun and I ran out the door, not caring if anyone tried to call me back, not caring that I’d lost my temper, I was just <em>done,</em>and I didn’t want to be in that place anymore!</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">*****</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I ran into my room, slamming the door shut and locking it. I ran to the closet, got out my bag and tossed it onto the bed, and then I went about packing all of my belongings, everything that I had brought with me.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western"><em>‘I’m done with this place!’ </em>I thought, shoving everything into the bag, not bothering to even fold my clothes. <em>‘I’m done with </em>all <em>of them! They want to put the blame on me? They want to follow Nikita’s lead and use me as a scapegoat? </em>Fine<em>! Let them! I didn’t ask to come here, Jael and Ryu thought it was best even though it was clear from the get go that I wasn’t ever going to be targeted by Cecelia! I wouldn’t be surprised if Cecelia had been spying on me, and decided that I wasn’t worth taking and turning into a doll. She probably even thought that I wouldn’t look nice as a doll, and she’s right!’</em></p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I packed my bag and looked around the room to see if there was anything that I might’ve forgotten, and my gaze fell upon the list of names. The list of the girls who <em>had</em> been taken by Cecelia, and this was the <em>very</em>list that had been a near-constant reminder of why I wasn’t picked to begin with.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">My temper flaring again, I stormed over to the desk, snatched up the laminated list, grabbed a pair of scissors, and I went to work on cutting up the list. I took out my rage on it, cutting with the scissors, trying to rip it apart, and needing it to be gone forever.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">*****</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">After a few minutes, I tossed the remains on the floor, stomped on them for good measure, tossed the scissors back on the desk, and went back to the bed, where I snatched up my bag.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western"><em>‘I’m going to leave,’ </em>I thought, heading for the door. <em>‘I don’t know how, but I’m leaving this place and I am going</em>home<em>!’</em></p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I was done with all of this, and <em>nothing </em>was going to change my mind about leaving, <em>nothing </em>at all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't like being blamed for something that I either didn't do or had no control over, and I especially don't like being yelled at.</p>
<p>The window washing job that I've mentioned before, my second team captain was prone to snapping at us if we made a mistake, and if we tried to talk to him about how he was treating us, he would just get angrier instead. So, Delta was pretty much reacting like she would've to that team captain. Bye for now! R&amp;R everyone!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. CHAPTER THREE: TRYING TO LEAVE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!</p>
<p>Yeah, I know it's been a while since I last posted a chapter, but here's the newest one. Onward!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="western">
  <span class="u">
    <b>CHAPTER THREE: </b>
  </span>
  <span class="u">
    <b>TRYING TO LEAVE</b>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">*****</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I left my room, shutting and locking the door behind me, and I headed along the hallway, determined to find a way out of the base without setting off any alarms, which I knew wasn’t going to be easy. I heard footsteps coming around the corner, and I duck into a closet, closing the door just enough that I could see through it without being seen.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“…it wasn’t fair that Nikita went off on Delta like that,” Alice said as she and Cyrille came around the corner and passed the closet. “She only shared an opinion that was all.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“I know,” Cyrille agreed. “And how was any of us were to know that Cecelia had placed a post-hypnotic suggestion in Mystic’s head…much less the rest of us who had been taken to be dolls?”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Yeah,” Alice agreed. “I know it should’ve been obvious, given that we’re dealing with Cecelia, but blaming Delta for this, that’s wrong.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Really wrong,” said Cyrille. “Shame Delta didn’t get to see Colleen, Lele, and GloZell read Nikita the riot act after she ran off. I think she would’ve gotten a kick out of it.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Alice chuckled. “Yeah, and she will when we tell her.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Yup.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western"><em>‘And Nikita </em>deserved <em>to be yelled at for how she treated me,’ </em>I thought, feeling a longing in my heart to come out of hiding and let them know I was there, but I didn’t do it, and when they were gone, I slipped out of the closet and went on my way. <em>‘Alice and Cyrille are good friends…but I can’t stay anymore, I just can’t.’</em></p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I will admit that my resolve to leave was a bit shaken after hearing Alice and Cyrille’s conversation, but my mind was made up, and I wasn’t about to back out of leaving this place. Of course my leaving did get hampered when I heard two thuds, and I ran back toward my room, finding both Alice and Cyrille lying unconscious on the floor.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Oh no…she got you two, too,” I whispered, feeling my heart sink, and then I heard footsteps coming from behind, and I duck into another closet, just as Calliope and Jael came around the corner, immediately running forward when they saw the two girls.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Have medical staff get to the residence wing now,” Jael ordered into a radio while Calliope checked both Alice and Cyrille. “Are they-?”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Calliope, who’d been waving her hands over them, nodded. “Yes, they have fallen into the same deep sleep as Mystic, Ivy, Justine, Andrea R., Ro, and Aoibhe,” she confirmed.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western"><em>‘Aoi, too?’ </em>I thought, feeling horrible that Cecelia’s hypnotic suggestion was taking back the friends that the SAE worked so hard to rescue. <em>‘Just confirms it…Cecelia will never stop, and I will never been wanted by anyone.’</em></p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">The medical staff arrived to collect Alice and Cyrille, informing Jael and Calliope that Teala had just fallen into the same deep sleep, and when the staff left with the two girls, Jael knocked on the door to my room.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I watched as she she override the door lock when there was no response, and went inside. She came back out just barely a minute later, holding the remains of the list. “Delta’s gone.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“What? Why?” Calliope wondered, staring at the remains of laminated paper. “And what is that?”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“It’s the list of names of those who had been taken originally,” Jael answered. “I fear that Delta is trying to leave after what Nikita said to her back in the infirmary. And I believe she took out some of her rage on the list as it was a reminder that she hadn’t been targeted by Cecelia.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Calliope frowned. “Delta is feeling excluded, even though we’ve made an effort to keep her up to date with everything that’s been going on.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“I fear that it’s more then that,” said Jael. “I think she might’ve overheard Ryu and I talking in the limo right before we arrived her, talking about why she hadn’t been taken by Cecelia, and the sedative that she’d been given would’ve been wearing off by that point.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Calliope nodded, looking concerned and grim. “I fear that you may be right,” she agreed. “It seems like in the various timelines, Delta is getting the short end of the stick…but how can she leave? I thought we’re in lockdown.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“We are,” Jael confirmed. “Only you, Ryu, or myself can give permission for anyone to leave the base or enter it until this business with Cecelia is resolved. But with how Delta must be feeling, I don’t think that she’ll let that stop her. Am I right?” And she looked directly at the door to the closest that I was hiding in.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I froze for a moment, and then sighed, opening the door, and warily stepped out, gripping my bag in my hand. “Yeah, you’re right.” And then I bolted away from them, and I could hear them giving chase.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Delta, stop!”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Don’t do this! Cecelia could get you if you go outside!”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Cecelia doesn’t give a <em>crap </em>about me!” I shouted, tears streaming down my cheeks as I ran through the hallways, refusing to stop. “If she did, you wouldn’t have found me in my parents’ house! Cecelia never had me picked because I’m not worth being turned into a doll!”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I turned another corner – and ran straight into Ryu, who grabbed me by the arms, despite my screams and attempts to break free of his grip. I was <em>done! </em>I wanted to go home!</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Jael and Calliope ran up with the blonde grabbing the bag I’d dropped as I continued to fight against Ryu.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Delta, none of what you said is true,” said Calliope gently. “You’re a beautiful young woman and it isn’t Cecelia’s opinion that should matter to you at all.” And yet, she could tell that I wasn’t going to stop, and she sighed, raising her hands. “Forgive me, Delta, but this must be done.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“No!” I shrieked, kicking Ryu hard enough in the leg so that he let go, and I tried to run – but the fog was already forming in my mind, despite my best efforts to resist it. And it wasn’t long before everything went black and silent around me.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">*****</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">When I next regain consciousness, I found myself lying on a bed in the infirmary with Colleen sitting next to the bed on a chair, and her face brightened when she saw that I was awake.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Good, you’re awake.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Yeah, yay for me,” I grumbled, sitting up and saw that I was in a private room, separated from the others, and yet, through the window, I could see Nikita sitting in a chair and fuming. “Nikita still thinks this is all my fault, doesn’t she?”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">Colleen sighed. “Yeah, but what Nikita thinks doesn’t matter, Delta,” she told me, getting me to look at her by touching my hand. “What matters is why you tried to run away. Is it because of this business with Cecelia? What Nikita said? Both?”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I could feel myself start to tear up. “It’s both,” I whimpered. “What I said when Nikita pissed me off, it’s all true. When Ryu and Jael were bringing me here, the sedative wore off, and I overheard them whispering about why I hadn’t been taken by Cecelia. And it’s obvious of why, she doesn’t consider me to be pretty enough to be a doll, why else would she ignore me and go after the rest of you instead? Like she’s doing right now?”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Oh, Delta.” Colleen got off the chair and sat on the bed next to me, giving me a hug, and I dissolved into tears in her arms, letting it all out. “That’s right, let it all out. Just let it out, don’t hold back anymore.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">I kept crying, I don’t know how long, until I had no more tears, and we spent the rest of the time talking quietly until I started to get droopy-eyed.</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Get some rest, Delta,” said Colleen, helping me get under the covers of the bed. “Things will get better, I’m sure that they will.”</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">“Yeah, I guess.” But I wasn’t convinced that things would get better, I just couldn’t believe it anymore.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Delta always seems to be getting the short end of the stick, and she still doesn't feel like she'll get targeted by Cecelia at all. Bye for now! R&amp;R everyone!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hmm, will Cecelia try and use Wonderland on the girls? Will Delta ever be targeted or will she still be excluded?</p><p>Bye for now! R&amp;R everyone!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>